Survey reveals the most common reason Americans buy junk food

Survey reveals the most common reason Americans buy junk foodSurvey reveals the most common reason Americans buy junk foodJunk food consumption is currently responsible for 28.8% of the total calorie intake of the average American. Fifty-seven percent of U.S citizens between the ages of 18 and 29 eat junk food and or fast food at least once a week. Eighty percent of Americans confess to consuming various unhealthy foods monthly, even though they are aware of the adverse effects that this entails. A new poll conducted by Onepoll and funded by the organic soil and fertilizer company called Dr. Earth of 2,000 Americans identifies the reasoning behind this curious statistic. Mistrust and high costThe massive poll reports that 55% of respondents said they feel forced to buy junk food because its much more expensive to purchase healthy food products. Not too long ago, researchers over at Drexel University put together a study group of 2,800 Americans to locate the depth of the price dispar ity. The paper reported that on average, healthy, perishable foods were almost twice as expensive as unhealthy packaged foods were talking a staggering 61 cents vs. 31 cents per serving. Moreover, the study determined that every 14% increase in the healthy to unhealthy food price ratio was associated with a 28% decrease in healthy diets. Nearly 40% of U.S. adults are obese and less than 20% attain recommendations for fruits and vegetables. Cheap prices of unhealthy foods relative to healthier foods may be contributing to obesity and low-quality diet, explained the studys lead researcher, Dr.Amy Auchincloss in Study Finds.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreAlthough high costs were the most commonly cited influencer of food insecurity, it was by no means the only one. A sizeable portion of the participants queried in the Onepoll survey expressed a lack of trust in the food industry that made them unable to condition the best healthy alternatives to purchase. An additional portion of the survey group, said many of the labels simply confused them. Three in four respondents said that they wish they knew more about the food their family consumed every night, with 30% saying they planned on starting their own garden just so they knew exactly what they were putting in their body. As previously reported by Ladders, this occurrence is seldom by chance. Many companies capitalize on the purported popularity of healthy foods by accenting any buzzwords and singling out individual healthy ingredients contained in a product in order to effectively mislead half-informed shoppers. Milo Shammas, the CEO of Dr. Earth, expounds further in a press meinung released on the back of the recent Onepoll reportConsumers can be misled with labeling with broad claims like contains organic or natural ingredients, this suggests that only part of the ingredients are organic and the rest conv entional. This is a common way to charge more for a partial organic product.Confusing wordsThe word organic was enough to warrant the purchase of three in four respondents, while three in five were more readily swayed by the words all natural. The problem is labeling guidelines permits the advertisement of organic even if only one ingredient in the product is actually organic in otherwise unhealthy food. Young Americans were discovered to be uniquely angesagt to these brand machinations. The Onepoll survey showed that 56% of respondents between the ages of 18 and 24 said they have zero faith in food advertisement. The report offers an interesting silver lining. In the midst of a pandemic love of sweetened beverages, processed pastries, and fast food, Americans both want to eat better and are relatively keen and correctly worried about all of the sleight of hand tricks employed by a sizeable portion of food manufacturers. Seventy-two percent of respondents said they genuinely fear un wittingly consuming pesticides. Control of our food is the greatest control of all if we know what we apply to our soils, we know what is growing out of our soils, we have the peace of mind of knowing our food is clean, Shammas concluded.

7 Tips to Make Networking Less Awkward

7 Tips to Make Networking Less Awkward7 Tips to Make Networking Less Awkward3Networking. The very word sends shudders through me, and Im an extrovert. I can only imagine what it does to those who are introverted or shy by nature.The thing is, networking actually works. Awkward as some of unterstellung events are, the concept of being able to meet multiple business people at one time, in one place, for what might lead to mutually beneficial connections in the future, is brilliant.Whether youre an entrepreneur or someone in sales, an author or an artist, or perhaps youre looking to find a new career, these organized speed-dating type events can be just the ticket to opening new doors and launching you toward future success. It just doesnt always feel that way.So, what are some things you can do to make the whole experience less awkward and mora fulfilling?Here are 7 suggestions to make networking less awkwardChoose wisely. Be selective about what events you attend. Not all networking e vents are equal. Take time to do some research and dig in a little as to who else might attend, where the event is being held, how big it will be, and so on. I once attended an event that I thought would fit my purposes and found myself in an exceedingly awkward place, at a terrible bar with two other participants who were truly only interested in hearing themselves talk. I couldnt extricate myself fast enough.Decide why. Decide why you want to go in the first place and platzset a goal before you go. For example, decide how many connections you would like to make and aim for that number throughout the course of the event.Practice your openers. Before you get there, be sure to practice your elevator pitch and your opening lines or conversation starters to make networking less awkward. Use the fantastic communication tool of curiosity. Ask open-ended questions such as, How did you get involved in what youre doing now? Or, Tell me more about what youre hoping to accomplish this year. T his takes the pressure off you and allows people to share and be heard. Listen well.Move around. Try not to hide by the bar or get stuck with the same people all evening. Remember your goal and dont be afraid to say, Im really glad to have honigwein you, and lets be sure to follow up. Im going to move around and meet some more people now, and you likely want to do the same. Have a great night. Honesty works well.Bring your cards. You arent going to want to share your business card with everyone you meet but have them ready for those you do want to follow up with. Cards are a great way to get the persons name down and, of course, to follow up with after.Smile a lot. Smiling opens you up to being approached and makes it easier to connect. If you cant remember if youve met someone already (an awkward situation that happens to me sometimes) or if you cant recall the persons name, begin with, Have I met you yet? I find this line works really well and gives us both an out if we have met.T ake notes. Have a pen handy and write a note on the back of cards of those you want to follow up with so that you can sort them later. Take a couple of moments at a table or in the corner to do that in between conversations or getting a drink or snack. It will save you time later. After the event, make more detailed notes so that you can devise a follow-up plan to actually connect with those youre interested in. There isnt much point in attending a networking event if you dont follow up afterwards.Those are my seven main suggestions for making networking a little smoother and more enjoyable. One last idea is to be sure to eat dinner first, as its definitely awkward to hold a plate of food worry about stuff getting stuck in your teeth balancea plate, cards, a drink, and shakehands and movearound the room without spilling something.I eat a proper meal first and grab one or two finger-food bites here and there, sometimes as a good excuse to get out of a dull conversation or to move on to more people. (Im going to grab a bite, nice talking to you.) And be wary of drinking too much at these events. You want to stick to your preset goals, meet several people, and make meaningful connections, which is all done more easily when youre unclouded and razor sharp.Heres to your next networking event- may you make networking less awkward and much more beneficial to your future success.Jennifer Swanson is the author of a best-selling new book,What They See How to Stand Out and Shine in Your New Job. She has taught communication and human relation skills since 1993 to college students entering the medical field. Shes also the creator and host of the Communication Diva Podcast, which has an international audience and helps people deepen workplace and personal relationships through more effective communication. Swanson has a masters degree in public and pastoral leadership and is a certified conflict coach and master NLP practitioner. Shes also a mother and stepmother to two yo ung adults and two teens- and to a four-legged hairy little beast named Bandit. You can connect with Jennifer on Twitter JennSwanson2 and on iTunes with the Communication Diva Podcast.

5 misconceptions about workplace culture and how to make a difference

5 misconceptions about workplace culture and how to make a difference 5 misconceptions about workplace culture and how to make a difference Workplace culture is both a “hot”  and  important topic in the world today.   Companies, organizations, and government agencies are all struggling with the reality that they have seriously unhealthy workplace cultures.   Yet many people (including leaders) have significant misconceptions about what creates “workplace culture” and whether or not (or how) it can be changed.   Frequent results of these misconceptions include: a) individuals within the organization giving up trying to improve the culture because they view the situation as hopeless; b) they want to do something to make a difference but don’t know where to start, or c) their attempts to change the culture are so misguided that their efforts are totally wasted.   (Some of the approaches are analogous to trying to fix an overheated car engine by changing a tire on the car.)Let’s look at these misconceptions and then address what individuals within an organization  can  do to start to make a difference.Misconcepti on #1: “Culture” in an organization is so big, gnarly and complex that it can’t be changed.Some individuals (especially in larger companies and organizations) look at the current life of an organization and feel overwhelmed with the complexity of the problems.   They conclude the problem is too big to be addressed for the organization to be able to change.   This is clearly not the case.   Huge organizations of various types  have  taken a self-assessment, seen that there are significant problems that need to be addressed and started on a path to successfully change.Misconception #2: The only way to change an organization’s culture is to do a total ‘restart’ (or kill the organization).People sometimes reach this conclusion because they observe companies and organizations changing significantly after they have had a significant event (for example, a bankruptcy) which requires them to totally reorganize and reformulate the organization.   Other times, they see that a new c ompany is birthed after a formerly large unhealthy one dies, and “out of the ashes” comes a new renovated variation of the former company.   While this can be a way that a workplace culture can change, we obviously don’t want to essentially amputate major parts of the company in order to make it healthy (although this is occasionally needed).Misconception #3: No one person can really impact their workplaces’ culture very much.This belief is held by some because of the incredible “staying power” that an existing culture has.   Many cultures can feel almost immovable.   This conclusion is also reached because individuals believe that “culture” is an external entity that essentially  happens  to an organization.   The reality is: workplace culture is the result of the combination of thousands of individual interactions between hundreds or thoughts of individual employees.Misconception #4: A dysfunctional corporate culture is best revamped by changing the leadership at t he top.While leadership at the top  may  need to be changed, doing this single action in no way guarantees any type of change will occur within the corporate culture.   This is evidenced by the large number of companies who have recently had toxic cultures, changed their leadership, but the cultural patterns continue (usually because the leaders underneath them have the same values and approaches the senior leaders did).Misconception #5: Culture is easy to change.There are also people who simplistically believe, “all we need to do is be more positive” and a negative culture will magically transform.   Culture  is  complex and, in many cases, is difficult to change.   But, when the people within an organization understand what comprises culture and then start a systematic approach to changing those factors which help shape culture, change can happen.How is culture changed, then?As indicated above, the first step is to empower people to change their individual behavior.   If each individual employee, supervisor, manager, or executive takes responsibility for themselves to make small, but consistent, changes in their behavior over time, an organization’s culture can begin to “morph” to a healthier state of being.Secondly, culture is also highly influenced by structure (communication patterns, decision making styles, expectations for daily functioning), as well as repeatedly proclaiming the mission of the organization along with the priorities and values by which that mission will be obtained.   A company may have a mission to “serve their clients” and “provide a reasonable return on investors’ investment” but  how  that is accomplished (and the values on which the actions are based) will significantly impact what the corporate culture becomes.Third, there are a number of other critical elements that leaders often forget- the need for community, the power of visual symbols, how music, food, and celebrating organizational successes.   Rituals (t hose actions which are done repeatedly without thinking) and traditions fill in the remaining parts of what an organization’s culture looks like.If you are interested in trying to help refashion your organization’s culture, start to reflect on how  your  daily actions may influence the aspects of your workplace’s culture you don’t like and see what ways you can start behaving differently that could begin to make a difference.   You  can  influence the interactions around you, and ultimately, begin to affect change in your overall organizational culture.This article first appeared on Appreciation at Work.